Samsung went through a big change and replaced its chief designer with a young and beautiful chief designer. And choosing a lady to design the products was a good decision, because most of this year's Samsung products are really beautiful, fresh and full of innovation today. We see it, for example, with curved glass on Galaxy S6 edge and Note 5, interestingly shaped aluminum u Galaxy A8 and now we see it on the Gear S2 watch, which is very close to a traditional watch. But at the same time they are very far from them. They replaced the complications with a touchscreen, the bezel got a whole new meaning, and instead of a winder, you'll be using a wireless dock that the competition can envy.
Unboxing
According to unboxings, you would expect the watch itself to be in a circular box, which would somehow emphasize the premium quality of the product. But it seems that such a box will only be a matter of the Gear S2 classic model, since we in the editorial office received a bluish, square box. But it had everything you needed and was positioned as you would expect from a watch. That is, the watch is on the very top and all the accessories are hidden under it, which includes the manual, the charger and an additional strap in size S. The watch is already prepared in advance for use with a strap in size L, which is more suitable for us, gentlemen, due to the larger wrist (not sure about hipsters and swagers). Since we are reviewing the sports version, it was expected that the package includes a rubber strap, which is much more suitable for physical activity than the leather one found in the Gear S2 classic packaging, which is intended more for company.
Design
As I mentioned, there is a charger. Unlike last year's models, you can see that it was designed by someone with a sense of design. And so you meet a dock that could be called a cradle. Unlike the wireless charger for Galaxy The S6 is a cradle for the Gear S2 designed so that the watch is turned sideways so you can see the time even at night. Which is a secondary function of the watch that is sure to please, as you can place the watch elegantly on your bedside table and you can always see what time it is. Because the watch is placed at an angle, there is a magnet inside the dock that holds the watch and at the same time protects it from falling. Overall, it's very well thought out and I was surprised by how fast they charge, even though we're talking about wireless charging technology. You have them charged in two hours. And how many hours of use do they last on a single charge? I discuss this below in the section Drums.
Now I would like to look at the design of the watch as such. In terms of design, they are really nice in my opinion. Their body consists of 316L stainless steel, which is used in traditional watches and used by some competitors, such as Huawei Watch, which are my dream (thanks to the design). The front of the watch is dominated by a large enough circular touch screen and I have to commend Samsung for its high quality. You can't see the pixels here at all and the colors are vivid and beautiful. This also applies to dials, which I deal with in a separate chapter. A special category is the rotating bezel, for which Samsung has found a completely new meaning. With its help, you can move around the system much faster, you won't blur your screen at all when reading e-mails and messages, and if you have your mobile phone connected to a wireless speaker, you can rewind songs with your watch. Changing the volume, however, is not. Respectively, it is possible, but you must first tap on the volume icon and then just turn it to the desired level. The bezel has a very important role, so it is not just a design accessory that you use occasionally. You will use it regularly, and thanks to its dimensions, it will be much more comfortable to operate than if you had to move your finger across the display or turn the crown. So I have to give the watch an extra point for the comfort of use. By the way, the presence of the bezel will be appreciated by people who are interested in the elegant-looking Gear S2 classic model. It also makes a mechanical, "clicking" sound when spinning.
software
As I mentioned, you will be using the bezel regularly. This applies when reading longer e-mails, when moving through the application menu or even on, I would call it, the lock screen. To the left of the watch face are the latest notifications, which you can read, respond to (by opening the corresponding application) or, if necessary, you can open the e-mail application directly on your mobile. In the Alarm clock application, you can set the exact time by turning the bezel, in Weather you can use it to move between individual cities. If you currently have Maps Here on your watch, you can zoom out or zoom in using the bezel. In short, the bezel is deeply connected to the software, which is why I wrote about it here.
The system on the watch is surprisingly smooth, and its smoothness is equal to the often praised devices from Apple. Everything is fast, animations don't cut and you have applications open in an instant. This also applies to apps from the Tizen Store, where you can purchase or download additional apps and watch faces. By default, the watch has 15 dials, including dials from partners Nike+, CNN Digital and Bloomberg. Each of them has its own use and special functions. For example, CNN serves as an RSS reader, and tapping on the headline will open the entire article. The Bloomberg watch face gives you an overview of current events on the Stock Exchange and, for example, Nike+ tracks your physical activity. In addition, most watch faces offer different types of complications. I personally liked the Modern dial with a black background, which suits the watch best. Along with him, I have three complications active here. The first shows the battery status, the second the date and the third serves as a pedometer.
On the home screen, you can also pull out a menu of options from the top of the screen, where you can set the brightness, activate the do not disturb mode or start controlling the music player on your mobile. You can get back from this menu using the top button (one of two on the right side of the watch). The second button will then allow you to turn off the watch. By holding both, you can put your watch into Pairing mode to pair it with yours Android by phone. In order for the pairing to go well, you must have the Gear Manager app downloaded on your mobile, or if you have a Samsung, then update the app to the latest version, otherwise the pairing process will not go as expected. You can then change the various settings of your watch on the mobile screen (which you can also do on the watch itself) and you can download new apps or watch faces to them. However, I confess that I only had Gear Manager on twice in the entire time, when I was pairing devices and when I was downloading new apps. By the way, there are not as many applications for the circular display as on older models, but it seems to me that useful applications and watch faces prevail over useless ones like Flappy Bird.
Drums
And how long does the watch last on one charge? The battery life here is at the level of previous models, and even though they have a different shape and decent hardware, the watch will last you 3 days of spontaneous use on one charge. This means you have a pedometer on your watch that tracks your steps at all times, receive and respond to notifications from your phone, and occasionally check the time. So it's a very decent battery life, considering that most competitors need to be charged every day. In addition, it is possible to activate a power saving mode on the Gear S2 watch, which blocks some functions just to last longer. and here it is no problem to get through the entire working week. The watch is greatly assisted in this by the optimization of the system, the AMOLED display (more economical than LCD) and also the fact that the display is not always on. It only turns on when you look at the watch.
Summary
It took a few generations, but the result is here and we can say that the new Samsung Gear S2 is the best watch from the Samsung workshop so far. The company has shown that it knows how to innovate and design. Unlike previous models, the Gear S2 watch is circular and uses a completely new control element, the bezel. You can already recognize it from traditional watches, but Samsung has given it a new use, which not only has great potential, but will probably become a control element in competing watches in the near future. The bezel will speed up the use of the otherwise small screen of the smart watch. Samsung has adapted the entire environment for use with it, and you will appreciate its presence, as you can use it to scroll through settings, scroll through e-mails or set an alarm clock. The dials are beautiful on the high-quality AMOLED display and even the most basic ones look professional. By the way, at some angles it looks like some watch faces are 3D, but you won't notice this fact in normal use. However, you perceive these aspects subconsciously and many times you feel that you are wearing an ordinary watch instead of electronics. The system is very fast and even as I had the chance to try, it is even simpler than Apple Watch. If I were to summarize it, in terms of design and ergonomics it is the best watch for Android. But if you are more interested in a rich selection of applications, then you should rather look at watches with Android Wear. However, in order not to speak only of the good, there are also a few shortcomings - for example, the lack of applications or the software keyboard, which could have been made better and could have taken into account the digital crown. On the other hand, writing an email on a tiny screen is something you would only do when absolutely necessary, and there's a much higher chance you'd rather use your mobile for that. But the overall experience with the watch is very good.
